Please join us for the Annual Chili, Cornbread, & Cole Slaw Cook-Off taking place at the same time as the Water Hill Music Festival

This is a meeting not to miss

If you are a Michigan Democrat, by now you probably know that Mark Brewer, who has been the Michigan Democratic Party Chair for 18 years, is being challenged for that position by Lon Johnson.

The UAW, the Teamsters, Senators Stabenow and Levin, and the entire Michigan Democratic House delegation have thrown their support behind Johnson while the Michigan Education Association and over 40 county party chairs are supporting Chair Brewer.

You can read more about this HERE and HERE.

In addition to those posts, I will also have interviews with both men posted here at Eclectablog Monday and Tuesday so check back if that is of interest to you.

In the meantime, you can hear both men speak at the Ann Arbor Dems meeting this Saturday morning.

The meeting is Saturday February 9th, 9:30 AM – 12 NOON at the Ann Arbor Community Center, 625 North Main Street.

Speakers include:

• Mark Brewer, MDP Chair
• Lon Johnson, Candidate for MDP Chair
• John Austin, Michigan’s State Board of Education President (also rumored to be a candidate for governor)

Mark Gaffney, former AFL-CIO President and Candidate for Chair of the 12th District Democratic Party
Congressman John Dingell

• Dr. Jon Callewaert, Integrated Assessment Program Director of the U-M Graham Institute (he will speak on hydraulic fracturing)

If you’re in the area, this is a meeting not to miss. Look me up if you attend.

The choice is clear

Back in August, I published a piece about Fake Democrats running in Michigan. One of those Fake Democrats is the appropriately-named Jim Fink who not only admits to being a Republican but whose biggest campaign donor is, in fact, the Republican Party. If you go to Republican Party headquarters/offices in Washtenaw County, there you will find Jim Fink signs. He has made many donations to Republican candidates, is anti-Choice and against marriage equality and civil rights for the LGBT community.

Despite this, Jim Fink has vigorously sought the endorsement of the Ann Arbor Democratic Club as well as the Washtenaw County Democratic Party (full disclosure: I am on the Executive Board of the WCDP as co-Vice Chair for Precinct Organizing.) He attended our conventions and forums. He parked his car, covered with his campaign magnets, at the entrance to the parking lot at our events to make it look as if we supported him. He asked us to put his literature and yard signs at our campaign office in Ypsilanti. In short, this confirmed, right wing Republican did everything he could do to get the Democratic Party to use their resources to support him.

We did not.

What we DID do is endorse his opponent, Carol Kuhnke. In contrast to Fink’s dishonesty and questionable character, Kuhnke is a fantastic candidate. Smart, honest, fair-minded and a true Democrat, Carol Kuhnke is the ideal choice for the 22nd District Court in Washtenaw County. While Kuhnke’s endorsements and experience are enough to convince most people that she’s the right candidate for this seat, the more you learn about her, the more the choice becomes clear.

Kuhnke is a native Michigander and was raised in Milan. She has been practicing law for 18 years and has been a fierce advocate for everyday Michiganders. I sat down with Carol to talk about her candidacy. We met at her law office on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor where she has a practice with attorney Peter Davis. It’s situated in an old home that has been renovated and filled with artwork that is simultaneously industrial and organic. It’s a welcoming, warm space that immediately makes you feel comfortable. I commented on that as we sat down.

“Yeah, one of my friends asked me, ‘Why would you want to leave this great office and great practice and go work in an institutional situation?’”

“So, what’s the answer to that question?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve spent almost 20 years working for people and enjoying what I can do to help someone with a problem or trying to make someone’s life better and I know that I can help a whole lot more as a judge. I love law. I love practicing the law. I love applying the law and seeing what it can do and what it’s weaknesses are and I hope to be able to do better.”

“Explain to me how the Circuit Court differs from, say, the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals or any other court,” I said. “I think that people, in general, don’t understand the different levels of the judicial system.”

“A lot of people don’t understand and I find that, as I’m campaigning, I do a lot of civics lessons on people’s doorsteps,” Kuhnke said.

“The Circuit Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction,” she continued. “Most cases that are filed start in the Circuit Court. If they don’t, it’s because they started in one of the specialty courts like the Probate Court or the District Court.

“The District Court handles traffic, landlord-tenant disputes, small claims, misdemeanors, and civil cases where the amount in controversy is under $25,000. The Probate Court handles estates, guardianships, disabled folks, things of that nature. So the specialty courts pull things out of the general pool of cases.

“Everything else goes to the Circuit Court and those cases are divided into three categories which are criminal cases, civil cases where the amount in controversy is more than $25,000, and the family docket which is divorce and custody.”

“So, you do all three of those things?”

“As an attorney, I have done all three of those things. Right now I’m doing mostly civil cases.”

“How did you make the decision to run for the Circuit Court?” I asked.

“I’ve practiced all over the state of Michigan and some in the state of Illinois. I’ve practiced in front of really great judges and really bad judges and I’ve seen the effect that a really bad judge has on the whole process and on the judicial system itself and the faith that people have in trusting their case to a judge. They don’t have a choice but, ideally, someone could walk out having lost and say, ‘I know that the judge was fair. I might disagree and wish the outcome was different, but the judge treated me well, was respectful to me, listened to my arguments and decided the case based on the law’. That doesn’t happen all the time.”

“Tell me a little bit about your background. Are you from Michigan?” I asked.

“I was born in Monroe and spent most of my childhood in Milan. I went to the University of Michigan for my undergrad and, after that, went to Chicago for law school. I graduated from the Kent College of Law in 1993 and started practicing in Chicago, spending three years there as a young attorney. But then I wanted to come back to Michigan.”

“And now you live here and have a couple of adopted kids, I see.”

“Yes, I live in Ann Arbor and my kids are 13 and 12.”

“How do you run a campaign for Circuit Court? I mean, is it just you going door-to-door or do you have a team of people?” I asked. “How does that work?”

“I have an intern and a campaign manager and then a number of people with full-time jobs who are willing to help out and knock doors in a neighborhood,” she replied. “I, personally, am knocking on a lot of doors and going to places where voters are congregating.”

“These are all non-partisan races but, at the Supreme Court level, the major parties make endorsements. The Washtenaw County Dems have endorsed you. How does political affiliation come into play as a judge, in your opinion? You’re coming from a Democratic perspective versus Jim Fink coming from a Republican perspective. How does that change how you are as a judge?”

“I don’t think that it should change how I am as a judge at all. The law is the law and you apply the law. There are a lot of ways to answer that question and I’d like to touch on a few of them. I’ll start by talking about associating myself with the Democratic Party while I’m running in a nonpartisan race. If I were running against another Democrat right now, the race would be different. I would probably not have as much support from the Democratic Party because the Party would be supporting two candidates.

“But, I’m running against someone who, quite early in the process, was courting the Democratic Party. Not just Democrats but the Party itself. During that process, he made the point often that it’s a nonpartisan race and that is true. But, I am a Democrat and he is a Republican. In fact, he’s a very conservative Republican and there came a point the Democratic Party said, ‘It’s been nice getting to know you but we’re not going to work for you’. So, I have sought and was happy to receive the support that the County Democrats were willing to give me. I’m grateful for that.

“Another facet of the answer is that I think most people believe that a judge’s beliefs do come into play on the bench — their beliefs and their experiences and their worldview. And we know that that’s so because we see the fights that go on at the U.S. Supreme Court level and how interested the general public is in how a judge or potential justice feels about Choice and how they feel about a lot of things that affect the day-to-day lives of everyday people.

“The point that my opponent has tried to make throughout this campaign is that it’s non-partisan; all you have to do is follow the law. If he truly believes that then I’m afraid for what he ever learned in law school or as a practicing attorney because there are a lot of places where the law specifically gives discretion to the judge and doesn’t really tell the judge how to apply that discretion or what the guidelines are.

“So, there are grey areas, whether they happen by accident because the Legislature hasn’t covered a particular potential decision or where they know the situation is out there and they are giving discretion to the judge: ‘You just do your best. Here’s the issue, here’s a couple of things you might think about. Now, Judge, you go and do your best.’ What else does a judge have to draw on in that situation but their worldview and their life experiences and their belief system? So, that’s where I can see that it makes sense for the Democratic Party to support me and where I certainly don’t have any problem accepting their help.”

“Can you give me an example of one of those grey areas where personal background and worldview would impact a decision you might make?” I asked.

“Well, a really esoteric one that we encounter all the time when we try cases is that a judge isn’t supposed to allow in any evidence that is more prejudicial than probative. Probative means relative to deciding the issue. That’s one where the judge is going to look at it and say, ‘I could do it this way or I could do it that way’ and the Court of Appeals isn’t going to reverse that judge unless the judge has abused the discretion. So, you might have to look at two things and say, for example, ‘Is it really relevant that this guy had a DUI ten years ago and now he’s being charged with drug possession? Is that more prejudicial than probative? Is that really relevant? Is that going to hurt his case in a way that doesn’t make sense in the context of what he’s charged with right now?’ That’s one example.

“An example that does not come up as often but is far more touchy, I believe, is what’s called the Judicial Bypass case where a young woman, under 18 years old who is pregnant and wants an abortion and can’t get the consent of a parent to have that abortion, that young woman has the option of going to the Court and asking permission. The judge is charged with questioning her on whether she has given careful thought to the decision and has she sought the advice of friends and people that are trusted advisers and, then, has she made a reasoned decision?

“A judge who is adamantly opposed to abortion in all cases is going to decide that case differently than someone like me.”

“That’s interesting,” I said. “I wondered about that and I think that’s a question that a lot of people have because we put judges up on pedestals in some respects and then we see that those pedestals aren’t justified sometimes.”

“It’s true. And a lot of people think that a trial court judge, a Circuit Court judge wouldn’t have anything to do with the abortion issue because that’s decided in the U.S. Supreme Court like with Roe vs. Wade. But it has a very practical day-to-day application Michigan because Michigan requires parental consent.”

“That’s not the case in every state then?”

“No, no. It’s not.”

It’s worth noting that Jim Fink IS an anti-Choice Republican. I went on to ask about Fink’s decision to try to ingratiate himself with Democrats and, in fact, misrepresent himself in order to get the County Democrats to give him support and use their resources to help his campaign.

“The fact that Jim [Fink] is misrepresenting himself in a lot of ways with regards to his background and his politics, the fact that he courted the Democratic Party when he’s clearly a Republican, to me speaks to his character and casts doubt on his character in my mind,” I said. “How do you feel about that, is that something you’d be willing to comment on?”

“I’ll tell you when it really stung me, when it really felt like he was being disingenuous, was when I saw the campaign finance reports last Friday, and I saw that his biggest donor was the Republican Party,” Kuhnke replied. “I didn’t receive any money from the Democratic Party. None at all. My money came from individuals and his money has come from a party that he has pretended to have no affiliation with all along. It just really struck me and, again, I’ve not received any money from the Democratic Party. I’ve received money from Democrats.

“And I’ve received donations from Republicans. He talks about the broad bipartisan support that he has. Well, I have bipartisan support, too.”

“Which endorsement are you most proud of?” I asked. “When you talk about your endorsements, which is the one that you mention first?”

“Justice Marilyn Kelly — one of the greatest Supreme Court justices we’ve ever had. I’m very, very proud of that endorsement.”

“One of the things that you mention on your website is that you believe there are ways that we can streamline the judicial process in Washtenaw County. Are there any things that you specifically have in mind that you’d like to accomplish in that regard?” I asked.

“I do, I do,” she answered. “It’s not all that exciting to read about or listen to, but I know as a civil attorney that the civil docket consumes a lot more of the judge’s time than the criminal docket. Over 90% of the cases settle without trial, but we have a LOT of cases that settle right before trial so that doesn’t save the system much time or money. The judicial resources, the court’s resources and the parties’ resources have all been expended by that time. I think that with a more hands-on judicial approach earlier on in cases, we could see a much higher ratio of cases that settle earlier or maybe half-way to the end rather than right at the end.”

“And you as a judge could impact that?”

“Absolutely. Absolutely.”

We finished our conversation by talking about how long judges often serve. The Circuit Court position is a six-year term and once a judge is elected, they are frequently reelected multiple times. In fact, as Kuhnke explained to me, the re-election ratio is so high that we could literally be making a 20 or 30 year decision.

“Are you ready for that? Are you ready to be a judge for 20 or 30 years?”

“Yeah,” she said confidently and with a smile. “Yes, I am.”

To find out more about Carol Kuhnke’s candidacy, visit her website HERE and her Facebook page HERE.

That’s the way it’s done, kids

In downtown Ann Arbor, tucked into Braun Court in Kerrytown, sits one of two area offices for the Obama campaign. We’re right across from the Farmer’s Market and surrounded by some of the coolest stores and eateries in the city, so we get a lot of foot traffic going by while we do our work to get out the vote (GOTV) for President Obama, Democrats in general and the variety of ballot proposals that Michiganders have to vote on this year.

The Kerrytown office is one of several GOTV staging locations in Washtenaw County and we are surpassing our goals on all fronts.

As folks come into our office, they are immediately greeted by one of our intrepid volunteers. “Are you here to canvass or phonebank?” they are quickly asked.

Often the response is, “Neither, actually. I was just walking by and thought I stop in to see what was going on. Can I get a yard sign?”

“Yes, you can!” is the standard response. “All you have to do is volunteer for a two-hour shift making calls or knocking on doors. Would you like to do it now or come back later?”

Yeah, we have signs. But you have to earn them!

How effective is our little office? This past weekend, for our second dry run before the final GOTV weekend, we had over 70 people canvassing, knocked close to 2,000 doors and made even more phone calls.

That’s just one of three staging locations in our area and that’s just practicing. Next weekend, we get serious.

Here’s what our phonebanking area looks like.

President Obama keeps an eye on Kerrytown phonebankers

While we were working yesterday, Dean of the House Congressman John Dingell and his wife Debbie stopped by to cheer on our volunteers.

l-r, Office Manager Jeanette, Phonebank Captain Randy, Congressman Dingell, Deputy Canvass Coordinator Jennifer and two Ann Arbor volunteers

We’ve had some fun stories over the past couple of weeks. One person our office manager Jeanette talked to during a volunteer recruitment call said, “Hmmm… let me check my schedule. I’m pretty sure I have some free time after Thanksgiving.” [facepalm]

Saturday night we were finishing up cleaning up our canvass packs and getting ready for Sunday morning when a young couple stopped by. “Can we help you?” they were asked? “Would you like to sign up to volunteer?”

“No,” they said. “But we saw you working late so we brought you Bunny Grahams. Thanks for all you are doing.” And, with that, they left us a box of tasty snacks, waved and walked off into the night, leaving us all grinning and laughing (and snacking.)

This is how it is done. This is how you fight back against money and negative ads and lies and lies and lies. Person-to-person contact with your neighbors, making sure they are planning to vote and that they have the facts on President Obama’s accomplishments and about Democrats up and down the ticket.

From now until Election Day, we’re going to contact as many Democrats as we can identify to urge them to vote. On Election Day itself, we will chase down each and every one of those votes, even if we have to knock on people’s doors twice or even three times. Democrats have the numbers but sometimes they just need that extra nudge to get to the polls and OFA is providing that nudge like you’ve never seen.

Next weekend is it, folks. It’s time to stop talking about the polls and the lies. It’s time to GOTV. Contact your local OFA office and find out how YOU can get involved. Vote early, take a vacation day on November 6th, and help us crank up Democratic turnout to “11″. Need to find your local office? Click HERE.

Fired up and ready to go!

P.S. If you are in Michigan, don’t forget to share the Eclectablog 2012 Voters Guide with everyone you know. You can find it HERE.

UPDATE: The importance of our volunteer GOTV effort grew this morning with this announcement from the White House Press Secretary Jay Carney:

Statement by the Press Secretary on Additional Changes to the President’s Travel Today
Due to deteriorating weather conditions in the Washington, DC area, the President will not attend today’s campaign event in Orlando, Florida. The President will return to the White House to monitor the preparations for and early response to Hurricane Sandy.

And then, just a short time ago, this one, as well:

Statement from the Press Secretary on the President’s Tuesday Schedule
The President will no longer travel to Green Bay, WI tomorrow for a campaign event, so that he can stay in Washington, DC on Tuesday and closely monitor the impact of and response to Hurricane Sandy. As he said at FEMA HQ yesterday, the President has instructed his team to make sure that needed federal resources are in place to support state and local recovery efforts. Additional details about the President’s schedule will be announced as soon as they are available.

President Obama is going to be a bit busy this week, doing his job and making sure that our East Coast friends are getting all the support they need as Hurricane Sandy batters them. While he’s busy and kept from campaigning, we need to take up the slack.

Let’s roll!

This Saturday, June 30th, 2012, Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz will be in Ann Arbor to kick of a Day of Action canvass and phonebank for Obama for America (OFA), the campaign to re-elect President Obama.

Starting at 10:00 a.m., the event includes both phonebanking and canvassing and YOU are invited. Before things get started, Ms. Wasserman Schultz will speak to volunteers to let them know what is at stake this year and how important their role is in the 2012 campaign.

DETAILS:
What: Day of action with DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz
When: Saturday, June 30th — Shifts start at 10:00 a.m.
Where: OFA-MI office in Ann Arbor
455 E. Eisenhower Parkway
Ann Arbor, MI 48104

To reserve your spot and get more information, visit the event webpage HERE.

This event comes the same week that the Romney campaign is opening their first office in Washtenaw County. Romney is so confident that he will be able to purchase this election with spending of upwards of TWO BILLION DOLLARS by him and his wealthy benefactors and “investors” that he hasn’t even bothered to have an office open in our area so far. It’s time to show the Romney campaign that Washtenaw County is Barack Obama country and give him a taste of what a real, truly grassroots campaign looks like.

Please join us on Saturday and get a chance to meet Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in person.

FORWARD!

[Photo credit: Anne C. Savage, used with permission.]

Emergency Manager law under the microscope

Tonight, a community forum will be held in Ann Arbor on the subject of Public Act 4, the Emergency Manager law.

On Monday, February 6, from 6 to 8pm in the Eldersveld Room in the Department of Political Science (Haven Hall 5th Floor), the Undergraduate Political Science Association will host: “A Debate on the Emergency Financial Manager Law: Democracy, Expertise, and the Public Good in Financially Troubled Cities”. We often hear in public discourse that government ought to be run more like a business, with streamlined decision-making by expert managers being preferred over the more cumbersome ways of making decisions that are associated with democratic institutions. The EMF [sic] Law can be viewed as cutting to the heart of this tension between expertise and democracy.

To debate this question, we have invited:
Representative Jeff Irwin
Representative Mark Oiumet
Howard Ryan, Director of Legislative Affairs, MI Department of Treasury
Conan Smith, Washtenaw County Commissioner
Dayne Walling, Mayor of Flint

If you are in the southeast Michigan area, please attend this important forum and have your voice heard.

Don’t fight, it’s inevitable

Last night I had the chance to have several beers with one of my local blogging heroes, Mark Maynard. His website, markmaynard.com (“For all your Mark Maynard needs”), is essential reading, particularly for anyone in the southeastern Michigan area. His support of the arts and local businesses and his charitable activities are unparalleled. Mark has been at this blogging thing for about ten years and it was an honor to spend some time with him.

Chris and Mark at Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. Photo credit: Anne C. Savage

Besides, honestly, why wouldn’t you want to have beers with a guy whose city goverment has taken an official position on his penis?

“It is our sincere belief that Mark Maynard has an exquisite anus and no penis discoloration or deformity”

At any rate, Mark and I will be teaming up for some things in the not so distant future including an area “Beer with Bloggers” event. We’ll be working to bring together area bloggers and their readers for some talk, some drink and to further plot our world domination. Maybe you can join us?

Picture this

My wife has put up an amazing multi-media post from yesterday’s visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan at her blog Politics in Pictures.

If you were there, you can look for yourself in a fully interactive panoramic image (you can even make it go fullscreen and zoom in and out!) If you don’t see yourself, you can also look for your face in this amazing widescreen image:


Click image for much larger version.

There is also some video and LOTS of still images.

I highly commend your attention to her terrific post. It’s amazing and not something you’ll find anywhere else.

P.S. Want to know why President Obama is emphasizing higher education at the moment? According to Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, it’s because he wants to brainwash as many college students as possible:

“It’s no wonder President Obama wants every kid to go college,” Santorum said Wednesday in Florida, according to CBS News. “The indoctrination that occurs in American universities is one of the keys to the left holding and maintaining power in America. And it is indoctrination. If it was the other way around, the ACLU would be out there making sure there wasn’t one penny of government dollars going to colleges and universities, right?”

H/T Meteor Blades at Daily Kos.

Being a battleground state has its privileges

If the internet gods shine their benevolent faces on us today, I’ll be posting live updates from President Obama’s speech in Ann Arbor, Michigan this morning. During his last Michigan stop at the University of Michigan spring commencement, there were so many people uploading to their Facebook pages that I was unable to get my email, much less liveblog. Today’s event should be a bit less congested but there are no guarantees.

As I said in my fundraiser post earlier, Anne and I are trying out some new technology today that will allow her to post her high quality photos just a minute or two after she takes them. Again, not my crappy iPhone photos, but her high quality, professional photos moments after that are captured. I’ll be posting some here and will give you a link to her others. You’ll be seeing them here before any other media outlet if the internet cooperates.

Apparently, Governor Rick Snyder won’t be here today because he “couldn’t make it work”. I guess that beats him showing up and poking his finger at the President like the odious Jan Brewer in Arizona.

In his speech today, President Obama will be “expanding on his State of the Union proposals to keep college affordable and within reach for all Americans” according to the White House media office. I will post a transcript when it becomes available.

The New York Times has some details about President Obama’s plan to overhaul college financial aid in this country to make college more affordable and available to all students:

President Obama is proposing a financial aid overhaul that for the first time would tie colleges’ eligibility for campus-based aid programs — Perkins loans, work-study jobs and supplemental grants for low-income students — to the institutions’ success in improving affordability and value for students, administration officials said.

Under the plan, which the president is expected to outline on Friday morning in a speech at the University of Michigan, the amount available for Perkins loans would grow to $8 billion, from the current $1 billion. The president also wants to create a $1 billion grant competition, along the lines of the Race for the Top program for elementary and secondary education, to reward states that take action to keep college costs down, and a separate $55 million competition for individual colleges to increase their value and efficiency.

The administration also wants to give families clearer information about costs and quality, by requiring colleges and universities to offer a “shopping sheet” that makes it easier to compare financial aid packages and — for the first time — compiling post-graduate earning and employment information to give students a better sense of what awaits them.

You will be able to listen to the speech live on Michigan Radio stations around the state or at their website.

Oh, by the way, President Obama is outpolling both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney in Michigan. Big time.

President Barack Obama heads to an event in Ann Arbor today holding a clear lead in the state over the two Republicans with the best chance to block his re-election in November.

Two months ago, Obama trailed Michigan-born former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the Free Press/WXYZ-TV poll, 46%-41%. Now, the Democratic president leads Romney in the state, 48%-40% in a poll of 600 voters taken Saturday through Wednesday. [...]

Obama holds an even larger margin in a head-to-head with Gingrich in Michigan, 51%-38%.

7:45 – En route. AnnArbor.com reporting thousands already in line and slowly being allowed into the Glick Fieldhouse. Thank goodness for media parking.

Massive back-ups on north and south-bound US-23 being reported on the radio.

8:25 – Inside the Fieldhouse. Just saw Jenny Balay and Muriel Kaier, OFA Team Leaders from An Arbor and Brighton. They will meet the president today. Also in the crowd: Senator Carl Levin, State Rep. Rebekah Warren and her husband, Washtenaw County Commission Chair Conan Smith.

Here is a bit of video from the line outside waiting to get in:

8:44 – As promised, here are a couple of Anne’s photos from her live photoblog:

NOTE: All images by Anne C. Savage (w/watermark) or Chris Savage (no watermark.) Please do NOT use without permission.

Senator Carl Levin:

Inside:

Many more photos, video + complete transcript of the President’s remarks after the jump.

Here is what the ticket to get in looks like:

The Pledge of Allegiance has been said and the National Anthem has been sung. Now the student body president is welcoming guests to the campus.

The student body president: “I stand here as a graduate of the Detroit Public School System”.

US Congressman Hansen Clark with Detroit media host Reginald Lane:

US Senator Debbie Stabenow:

The President of the United States:

“If there is anyone who can show the country how to bring manufacturing back to America, it’s Michigan…When manufacturing does well, the entire economy does well.”

“For the first time, college debt is higher than credit card debt.”

What we’re doing is, today we’re going to launch a Race to the Top for college affordability.  We’re telling the states, if you can find new ways to bring down the cost of college and make it easier for more students to graduate, we’ll help you do it.  We will give you additional federal support if you are doing a good job of making sure that all of you aren’t loaded up with debt when you graduate from college.

“Last year, 40 states cut their investments in higher education.”

“Tell Congress to pass the middle class tax cut without drama and without delay.”

“We’ve got a different idea of America, a more generous America.”

Wait, Congressman David Rutledge is a liveblogger, too?! LOL

That’s it kids, we have a lid. Time for a beer.

Like what you see at Eclectablog? You can thank me by tossing a few coins into my tip jar. More info HERE.

Transcript of President Obama’s remarks:

Hello, Michigan!  (Applause.)  Oh, it is good to be back in Ann Arbor.  (Applause.)

Thank you, Christina, for that introduction.  I also want to thank your president, Mary Sue Coleman.  (Applause.)  The mayor of Ann Arbor, John Hieftje, is here.  (Applause.)  My outstanding Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, is in the house.  (Applause.) We have some outstanding members of Congress who are here as well, who are representing you each and every day.  Give them a round of applause — come on.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you, President Obama!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Applause.)

So in terms of — boy, we’ve got all kinds of members of Congress here, so — (laughter.)

Where’s Denard?  (Applause.)  Denard Robinson is in the house.  (Applause.)  I hear you’re coming back, man.  (Applause.)  That is a good deal for Michigan.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Denard Robinson in 2012!  (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, oh, come on.  They’re trying to draft you for President.  (Laughter.)  He’s got to graduate before he runs for President.  (Laughter.)  There’s an age limit.  (Laughter.)

Well, it is wonderful to be here.  I want to thank all of you for coming out this morning.  I know for folks in college, this is still really early.  I remember those days.  It is good home — good to be in the home of the Sugar Bowl champion Wolverines.  (Applause.)  And with Denard Robinson coming back, this will be a team to be reckoned with.  I understand your basketball team is pretty good this year, too.  (Applause.)  All right — go, Blue!  (Applause.)  It’s always good to start with a easy applause line.  (Laughter.)  

But the reason I’m here today — in addition to meeting Denard Robinson — (laughter) — is to talk with all of you about what most of you do here every day — and that is to think about how you can gain the skills and the training you need to succeed in this 21st century economy.  And this is going to be one of the most important issues that not just you face, but this entire country faces:  How can we make sure that everybody is getting the kind of education they need to personally succeed but also to build up this nation — because in this economy, there is no greater predictor of individual success than a good education.

Today, the unemployment rate for Americans with a college degree or more is about half the national average.  Their incomes are twice as high as those who don’t have a high school diploma.  College is the single most important investment you can make in your future.  And I’m proud that all of you are making that investment.  (Applause.)

And the degree you earn from Michigan will be the best tool you have to achieve that basic American promise — the idea that if you work hard, if you are applying yourself, if you are doing the right thing, you can do well enough to raise a family and own a home and send your own kids to college, put away a little for retirement, create products or services — be part of something that is adding value to this country and maybe changing the world.  That’s what you’re striving for.  That’s what the American Dream is all about. 

And how we keep that promise alive is the defining issue of our time.  I don’t want to be in a country where we only are looking at success for a small group of people.  We want a country where everybody has a chance.  (Applause.)  Where everybody has a chance.  We don’t want to become a country where a shrinking number of Americans do really well while a growing number barely get by.  That’s not the future we want.  Not the future I want for you, it’s not the future I want for my daughters.  I want this to be a big, bold, generous country where everybody gets a fair shot, everybody is doing their fair share, everybody is playing by the same set of rules.  That’s the America I know.  That’s the American I want to keep.  That’s the future within our reach.  (Applause.)

Now, in the State of the Union on Tuesday, I laid out a blueprint that gets us there.  Blueprint — it’s blue.  (Laughter and applause.)  That’s no coincidence.  I planned it that way, Michigan.  (Laughter.)  A blueprint for an economy that’s built to last.

It’s an economy built on new American manufacturing — because Michigan is all about making stuff.  (Applause.)  If there’s anybody in America who can teach us how to bring back manufacturing, it is the great state of Michigan.  (Applause.)

On the day I took office, with the help of folks like Debbie Stabenow, your senator, and Carl Levin and — (applause) — John Conyers — the American auto industry was on the verge of collapse.  And some politicians were willing to let it just die.  We said no.  We believe in the workers of this state.  (Applause.)  I believe in American ingenuity.  We placed our bets on the American auto industry, and today, the American auto industry is back.  Jobs are coming back — (applause) — 160,000 jobs.

  And to bring back even more jobs, I want this Congress to stop rewarding companies that are shipping jobs and profits overseas, start rewarding companies who are hiring here and investing here and creating good jobs here in Michigan and here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

So our first step is rebuilding American manufacturing.  And by the way, not all the jobs that have gone overseas are going to come back.  We have to be realistic.  And technology means that a larger and larger portion of you will work in the service sector as engineers and computer scientists.  (Applause.)  There you go.  We got the engineering school — there you go.  (Applause.)  And entrepreneurs.  So there’s going to be a lot of activity in the service sector.  But part of my argument, part of the argument of Michigan’s congressional delegation is that when manufacturing does well, then the entire economy does well.

The service sector does well if manufacturing is doing well, so we’ve got to make sure that America isn’t just buying stuff, but we’re also selling stuff — all around the world, products stamped with those three proud words:  Made In America.  (Applause.)

An economy built to last is also one where we control our energy needs.  We don’t let foreign countries control our energy supplies.  Right now, America is producing more of our own oil than we were eight years ago.  That’s good news.  (Applause.)  As a percentage, we’re actually importing less than any time in the last 16 years.

But — I think young people especially understand this — no matter how much oil we produce, we’ve only got 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves.  And that means we’ve got to focus on clean, renewable energy.  (Applause.)  We’ve got to have a strategy that, yes, is producing our own oil and natural gas.  But we’ve also got to develop wind and solar and biofuels.  (Applause.)

And that is good for our economy.  It creates jobs.  But it’s also good for our environment.  (Applause.)  It also makes sure that this planet is sustainable.  That’s part of the future that you deserve.

We’ve subsidized oil companies for a century.  That’s long enough.  Congress needs to stop giving taxpayer dollars to an oil industry that’s never been more profitable, and double down on a clean energy future that’s never been more promising.  (Applause.)

I don’t want to cede the wind or the solar or the battery industry to China or Germany because we were too timid, we didn’t have the imagination to make the same commitment here.  And I want those jobs created here in the United States of America.  And I also want us to think about energy efficiency, making sure — we’ve already doubled fuel efficiency standards on cars.  Part of Detroit coming back is creating more fuel-efficient cars here in Michigan — (applause) — and more fuel-efficient trucks.  And we’ve got to revamp our buildings to make them more fuel-efficient.

And we — if we are focused on this, we can control our energy future.  That’s part of creating an America that’s built to last.

And we’ve got to have an economy in which every American has access to a world-class higher education, the kind you are getting right here at the University of Michigan.  (Applause.)

My grandfather got the chance to go to college because this country decided that every returning veteran of World War II should be able to afford it.  My mother was able to raise two kids by herself because she was able to get grants and work her way through school.  I am only standing here today because scholarships and student loans gave me a shot at a decent education.  Michelle and I can still remember how long it took us to pay back our student loans.  (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Tell the First Lady we wish her happy birthday!

     THE PRESIDENT:  I will tell Michelle you said happy birthday.  (Applause.)
   
     But I just want all of you to understand, your President and your First Lady were in your shoes not that long ago.  (Laughter.)  We didn’t come from wealthy families.  The only reason that we were able to achieve what we were able to achieve was because we got a great education.  That’s the only reason.  (Applause.)  And we could not have done that unless we lived in a country that made a commitment to opening up opportunity to all people.  (Applause.)

     The point is, this country has always made a commitment to put a good education within the reach of all who are willing to work for it, and that’s part of what helped to create this economic miracle and build the largest middle class in history.
And this precedes even college.  I mean, we were — we helped to begin the movement in industrialized countries to create public schools, public high schools, understanding that as people are moving from an agricultural sector to an industrial sector, they were going to need training.

Now we’ve moved to an information age, a digitalized age, a global economy.  We’ve got to make that same commitment today.  (Applause.)

Now, we still have, by far, the best network of colleges and universities in the world.  Nobody else comes close.  Nobody else comes close.  (Applause.)  But the challenge is it’s getting tougher and tougher to afford it.  Since most of you were born, tuition and fees have more than doubled.  That forces students like you to take out more loans and rack up more debt.

In 2010, graduates who took out loans left college owing an average of $24,000.  That’s an average.  Are you waving because you owe $24,000 or — (laughter.)

Student loan debt has now surpassed credit card debt for the first time ever.  Think about that.  That’s inexcusable.  In the coming decade, 60 percent of new jobs will require more than a high school diploma.  Higher education is not a luxury.  It’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.  And when I say higher education, I don’t just mean four-year colleges and universities; I also mean our community colleges and providing lifelong learning for workers who may need to retrain for jobs when the economy shifts.  All those things cost money, and it’s harder and harder to afford.  (Applause.)

So we’ve got to do something to help families be able to afford — and students to be able to afford — this higher education.  We’ve all got a responsibility here.

Thanks to the hard work of Secretary Duncan, my administration is increasing federal student aid so more students can afford college.  (Applause.)  And one of the things I’m proudest of, with the help of all these members of Congress, we won a tough fight to stop handing out tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to banks that issue student loans and shift that money to where it should go, directly to the students and to the families who need it.  (Applause.)

Tens of billions of dollars that were going to subsidies for banks are now going to students in the form of more grants and lower rates on loans.  We’ve capped student loan payments so that nearly 1.6 million students — including a bunch of you — are only going to have to pay 10 percent of your monthly income towards your loans once you graduate — 10 percent of your monthly income.  (Applause.)

So that’s what we’ve been doing.  Now Congress has to do more.  Congress needs to do more.  They need to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling this July.  That’s what’s scheduled to happen if Congress doesn’t act.  That would not be good for you.  (Laughter.)  So you should let your members of Congress know:  Don’t do that.  Don’t do it.  Don’t do it.

They need to extend the tuition tax credit that we’ve put in place that’s saving some of you and millions of folks all across the country thousands of dollars.  And Congress needs to give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.  (Applause.)

So the administration has a job to do.  Congress has a job to do.  But it’s not just enough to increase student aid, and you can imagine why.  Look, we can’t just keep on subsidizing skyrocketing tuition.  If tuition is going up faster than inflation, faster than even health care is going up, no matter how much we subsidize it, sooner or later, we’re going to run out of money.  And that means that others have to do their part.  Colleges and universities need to do their part to keep costs down as well.  (Applause.)

Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who’ve done just that.  Here at Michigan, you’ve done a lot to find savings in your budget.  We know this is possible.  So from now on, I’m telling Congress we should steer federal campus-based aid to those colleges that keep tuition affordable, provide good value, serve their students well.  (Applause.)  We are putting colleges on notice — you can’t keep — you can’t assume that you’ll just jack up tuition every single year.  If you can’t stop tuition from going up, then the funding you get from taxpayers each year will go down.  We should push colleges to do better.  We should hold them accountable if they don’t.  (Applause.) 

Now, states also have to do their part.  I was talking to your president — and this is true all across the country — states have to do their part by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets.  (Applause.)  Last year, over 40 states cut their higher education spending — 40 states cut their higher education budget.  And we know that these state budget cuts have been the largest factor in tuition increases at public colleges over the past decade.

So we’re challenging states:  Take responsibility as well on this issue.  (Applause.)  What we’re doing is, today we’re going to launch a Race to the Top for college affordability.  We’re telling the states, if you can find new ways to bring down the cost of college and make it easier for more students to graduate, we’ll help you do it.  We will give you additional federal support if you are doing a good job of making sure that all of you aren’t loaded up with debt when you graduate from college.  (Applause.) 
And, finally, today I’m also calling for a new report card for colleges.  Parents like getting report cards.  I know you guys may not always look forward to it.  (Laughter.)  But we parents, we like to know what you’re doing.  From now on, parents and students deserve to know how a college is doing — how affordable is it, how well are its students doing?  We want you to know how well a car stacks up before you buy it.  You should know how well a college stacks up.

     We call this — one of the things that we’re doing at the Consumer Finance Protection Board that I just set up with Richard Cordray — (applause) — is to make sure that young people understand the financing of colleges.  He calls it, “Know Before You Owe.”  (Laughter.)  Know before you owe.  So we want to push more information out so consumers can make good choices, so you as consumers of higher education understand what it is that you’re getting.

     The bottom line is that an economy built to last demands we keep doing everything we can to bring down the cost of college.  That goes along with strengthening American manufacturing.  It means we keep on investing in American energy.  It means we double down on the clean energy that’s creating jobs across this state and guaranteeing your generation a better future.  (Applause.)

     And you know what else it means?  It means that we renew the American values of fair play and shared responsibility.  (Applause.)  Shared responsibility.

I talked about this at the State of the Union.  We’ve got to make sure that as we’re paying for the investments of the future that everybody is doing their part, that we’re looking out for middle-class families and not just those at the top.  The first thing that means is making sure taxes don’t go up on 160 million working Americans at the end of next month.  (Applause.)  People can’t afford to lose $40 out of every paycheck.  Not right now.  Students who are working certainly can’t afford it.

Your voices encouraged and ultimately convinced Congress to extend the payroll tax cut for two months.  Now we’ve got to extend it for the whole year.  I need your help to get it done again.  Tell them to pass this tax cut, without drama, without delay.  (Applause.)  Get it done.  It’s good for the economy.  (Applause.)  

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Four more years!  

     THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.  (Laughter and applause.)

Now, in the longer run, we’re also going to have to reduce our deficit.  We’ve got to invest in our future and we’ve got to reduce our deficit.  And to do both, we’ve got to make some choices.  Let me give you some examples.

Right now, we’re scheduled to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was intended to be a temporary tax cut for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  That’s not fair.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s not fair.  A quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households.

AUDIENCE:  Booo –

THE PRESIDENT:  Not fair.  Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.  I know because she was at the State of the Union.  She told me.  (Laughter.)  Is that fair?

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Does it make sense to you?

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  Do we want to keep these tax cuts for folks like me who don’t need them?  Or do we want to invest in the things that will help us in the long term — like student loans and grants — (applause) — and a strong military — (applause) — and care for our veterans — (applause) — and basic research?  (Applause.)

Those are the choices we’ve got to make.  We can’t do everything.  We can’t reduce our deficit and make the investments we need at the same time, and keep tax breaks for folks who don’t need them and weren’t even asking for them — well, some of them were asking for them.  I wasn’t asking for them.  (Laughter.)  We’ve got to choose.

When it comes to paying our fair share, I believe we should follow the Buffett Rule:  If you make more than $1 million a year — and I hope a lot of you do after you graduate — (laughter) — then you should pay a tax rate of at least 30 percent.  (Applause.)  On the other hand, if you decide to go into a less lucrative profession, if you decide to become a teacher — and we need teachers — (applause) — if you decide to go into public service, if you decide to go into a helping profession — (applause) — if you make less than $250,000 a year — which 98 percent of Americans do — then your taxes shouldn’t go up.  (Applause.)

This is part of the idea of shared responsibility.  I know a lot of folks have been running around calling this class warfare.  I think asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes is just common sense.  (Applause.)  Yesterday, Bill Gates said he doesn’t think people like him are paying enough in taxes.  I promise you, Warren Buffett is doing fine, Bill Gates is doing fine, I’m doing fine.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Koch Brothers.

THE PRESIDENT:  They’re definitely doing fine.  (Laughter.)  

We don’t need more tax breaks.  There are a lot of families out there who are struggling, who’ve seen their wages stall, and the cost of everything from a college education to groceries and food have gone up.  You’re the ones who need that.  You’re the ones who need help.  And we can’t do both.

There have been some who have been saying, well, the only reason you’re saying that is because you’re trying to stir people up, make them envious of the rich.  People don’t envy the rich.  When people talk about me paying my fair share of taxes, or Bill Gates or Warren Buffett paying their fair share, the reason that they’re talking about it is because they understand that when I get a tax break that I don’t need, that the country can’t afford, then one of two things are going to happen:  Either the deficit will go up and ultimately you guys are going to have to pay for it, or alternatively, somebody else is going to foot the bill — some senior who suddenly has to pay more for their Medicare, or some veteran who’s not getting the help that they need readjusting after they have defended this country, or some student who’s suddenly having to pay higher interest rates on their student loans.

We do not begrudge wealth in this country.  I want everybody here to do well.  We aspire to financial success.  But we also understand that we’re not successful just by ourselves.  We’re successful because somebody started the University of Michigan.  (Applause.)  We’re successful because somebody made an investment in all the federal research labs that created the Internet.  We’re successful because we have an outstanding military — that costs money.  We’re successful because somebody built roads and bridges and laid broadband lines.  And these things didn’t just happen on their own.

     And if we all understand that we’ve got to pay for this stuff, it makes sense for those of us who’ve done best to do our fair share.  And to try to pass off that bill onto somebody else, that’s not right.  That’s not who we are.  (Applause.)  That’s not what my grandparents’ generation worked hard to pass down.  That’s not what your grandparents and your great-grandparents worked hard to pass down.  We’ve got a different idea of America, a more generous America.  (Applause.)

     Everybody here is only here because somebody somewhere down the road decided we’re going to think not just about ourselves, but about the future.  We’ve got responsibilities, yes, to ourselves but also to each other.  And now it’s our turn to be responsible.  Now it’s our turn to leave an America that’s built to last.  And I know we can do it.  We’ve done it before and I know we can do it again because of you.

When I meet young people all across this country, with energy and drive and vision, despite the fact that you’ve come of age during a difficult, tumultuous time in this world, it gives me hope.  You inspire me.  You’re here at Michigan because you believe in your future.  You’re working hard.  You’re putting in long hours — hopefully some at the library.  (Laughter.)  Some of you are balancing a job at the same time.  You know that doing big things isn’t always easy, but you’re not giving up.

     You’ve got the whole world before you.  And you embody that sense of possibility that is quintessentially American.  We do not shrink from challenges.  We stand up to them.  And we don’t leave people behind; we make sure everybody comes along with us on this journey that we’re on.  (Applause.)

     That’s the spirit right now that we need, Michigan.  (Applause.)  Here in America, we don’t give up.  We look out for each other.  We make sure everybody has a chance to get ahead.  And if we work in common purpose, with common resolve, we can build an economy that gives everybody a fair shot.  And we will remind the world just why it is that the United States of America is the greatest nation on Earth.  (Applause.)

     Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  Thank you.  (Applause.)